TV Linked to Bad Behavior in Young Children

Here’s another bit of evidence that letting young children watch too much television is bad for them. The Everyday Health website explains the findings of a British study that reinforces previous research. Researchers found that five-year-olds who watch more than three hours of television a day are more likely to develop antisocial behavior by the time they are seven years old. Surprisingly, they also found that this does not seem to be true for playing video games!

The researchers, who conducted their University of Glasgow study, suggested that what they are watching may not be the source of the bad behavior. It may be that children who watch so much television might have difficulty falling asleep, and they tend to exercise very little. A lack of exercise and sleep may make it difficult for young children to control their behavior. Additionally, those children are most likely not being read to, not being supervised, and not being played with very often. All of these things are needed for young children to be socialized well. According to an article published in the journal, Pediatrics, “…a child’s risk for antisocial and criminal behavior increased by 30 percent for every hour of TV they watched per week night.”

Parents are strongly cautioned to limit the amount of television that their young children watch each night. It’s important for their physical, emotional, and academic development. Click this link for a video about these findings: http://bcove.me/z8td4nue